Ex presidential aide fingers Obasanjo as architect of party politics destruction

By Musa Baba Adamu

Former spokesman to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Laolu Akande, has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of playing a key role in the decline of party politics in Nigeria.
Akande said Obasanjo taught Nigerians how to use the presidency to subdue party politics in Nigeria.
He disclosed this in an interview on Channels Television’s Inside Sources, monitored in Abuja.
Akande said: “One of the reasons why all of these uninspiring dispensations of party politics are upon us is because the nature of party politics in Nigeria has been heavily devalued, heavily destroyed starting from when former President Olusegun Obasanjo was in office as our civilian leader.
“It was Obasanjo who taught us how to effectively subdue parties and their structures under the presidency.
“Before 1999, we had the SDP and NRC in the Third Republic, and before that, we had political parties in the Second Republic that were strong.
“In both republics, the political parties and their national leaders had some serious cloud over and above presidential candidates and their even the president.
“In Nigeria, it was Obasanjo who changed the dynamics when he was president. The late Chief Audu Ogbe told Obasanjo, ‘I’m not your cook but your party Chairman, so talk to me with respect.’
“Which party Chairman do you think can assert such self do you imagine can assert such self assurance in today’s politics?
“Before then, Obasanjo had dusted Solomon Lar, who was the founding Chairman of PDP in 1999. Whether Obasanjo knew it or not, what he was doing was wrecking party politics in Nigeria. He went on to determine the party candidate for the gubernatorial and presidential elections.”